Fear and Intimidation Tactics Marred Somaliland’s Upper House of Parliament

It is widely felt that what amounts to a coup d'etat has taken place in the Guurti House.

London, 03 April 2009 (Somaliland Today)- The upper house of Somaliland's parliament, which is commonly referred to as Guurti, had passed a highly controversial resolution on Saturday in which it extended president Rayale's term of office for six months effective from 6 April to 29 October 2009. No valid constitutional basis was cited for the decision. Even worse, the Guurti brushed aside the official date set by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) for the presidential election, which was adjourned from 31st May to 29 September 2009. Again, no explanation was offered as to why the Guurti superseded the date set by the NEC for presidential election.

It is widely felt that what amounts to a coup d'etat has taken place in the Guurti House.

The resolution, which was passed by 42 votes in favour, 35 against and 1 abstention, took the opposition by complete surprise and left the rest of the nation shell-shocked and dumfounded.

Apart from members of the Guurti, the parliament was jam-packed with Rayale's supporters including senior police commanders and hordes of uniformed police officers, units of the armed forces, CID officials, the president's own NSS (National Security Service) officers who are only accountable to him, cabinet ministers and other senior government officials. Selected members of the public were also invited to watch the session, albeit small in number.

The resolution emerged against the backdrop of tense atmosphere and heated debate punctuated by frequent cursing and name-calling, which had led to at least one member of the Guurti who hails from Balligubadleh, being thrown out of the parliament.

The situation was so chaotic that the minister of information, Mr. Ahmed Haji Dahir, at some point, climbed up on the top of a desk, shouting over the top of his voice as part of "the government's relentless campaign to secure victory by any means necessary". The eldest member of the Guurti, a nonagenarian named Haji Abdikarim Hussein, famously known as "Abdiwaraabe", was directly involved in the lobbying. He could hardly walk without support but nonetheless took the trouble to mill around the House to try to convince the only female member of his clan in the House, Fadumo Jama Ileeye, to vote for the president's extension of term in office. Ms Ileeye rejected Abdirwarabe's desperate plea and ultimately voted her conscience.

Intimidation was the name of the game. It was not only limited to threats but also pressure coupled with the strong presence of security forces inside the parliament, all-contributing to unsettle the opposition from the outset.

The chairman of the Upper House, Suleiman Mohamoud Aden, totally lost control of the floor debate and, on two occasions, could not even announce or declare the result that is, whether the motion was carried or lost because of the chaos and confusion that surrounded the House.

Ahmed Mohamoud Silanyo, the chairman of the leading opposition party, KULMIYE, swiftly condemned the decision and described it as a deadly setback to Somaliland's democratisation process.

In a press statement issued by KULMIYE later, Silanyo said his party would not recognise Dahir Rayale as the legitimate president of Somaliland after 6th of April since the resolution passed by the Guurti was illegal and had no constitutional basis whatsoever.

The minister of interior, Abdillahi Irro, and head of the CID, Mohammed Nur, who is a close relative of president Rayale, said, " As from 6th April, the movement of the officials of the opposition political party [meaning KULMIYE] will be greatly restricted".

However, in a statement which is reminiscent of late Barre's military junta, the deputy minister of justice, Yusuf Isse Duale, known as "Tallaabo" went even further by saying that "any opposition to the Guurti's decision by KULMIYE officials after 6th of April will be considered as a coup d'etat and, under state of emergency, they will be sentenced to death by firing squad or face long-term imprisonment".

"I warn against those who are contemplating to oppose the Guurti's decision that such an act will have serious consequences; this means there will be no more political parties and freedom of press in this country will be permanently curtailed". Added Tallaabo chillingly.

Up until now the UCID leader, Faisal Ali Warabe, remains a serial flip flopper. He rejected the Guurti's decision to postpone the presidential election to 29 September. However, his party's official stand with regard to the extension of president Rayale's term of office still remains unclear.

The Guurti's decision has provoked public outrage and warnings that this might lead to civil disobedience throughout the country.

Somaliland Today

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